Leicester City vs Fulham U21 Prediction 22.09.2026 | EFL Trophy

Leicester City’s transition into League One life has been far from smooth sailing. The EFL Trophy arrives at a time when the club is still desperately searching for tactical equilibrium, sitting on a modest nine points from their opening seven outings—a return far below the expectations of a club with such an illustrious pedigree.

Their September schedule has perfectly mirrored this unpredictability. The Foxes began the month by outsmarting Plymouth Argyle 2-0, only to suffer a humiliating 4-0 dismantling at the hands of Oxford United in front of their own fans just days later.

Their response came in the most dramatic fashion imaginable, clawing out a victory in a frantic seven-goal thriller away at Stockport County, before closing out their third-tier duties for the month with a stale 1-1 stalemate against Barnsley.

Leicester’s history in this competition is virtually non-existent; their only previous appearance back in the 2008-09 campaign ended in a third-round exit to Rotherham United. For manager Russell Martin, this fixture serves as a prime opportunity to rotate his squad and test the depth at his disposal.

However, the hosts are dealing with a catastrophic blow between the sticks. First-choice goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk has been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with a severe ligament injury, leaving Franco Ravizzoli and Alex McCarthy to compete for the gloves, while young defender Ben Nelson remains a major fitness doubt.

Where Leicester lean on grizzled experience, Fulham's youngsters offer the ultimate antithesis. The young Cottagers have ignited their Premier League 2 campaign with a brand of breathtaking, ultra-offensive football that has seen the goals rain down from day one.

On opening day, the West London starlets emerged victorious in a wild seven-goal blockbuster against Burnley U21, before producing their most complete performance of the nascent season with a ruthless 4-0 demolition of Newcastle United.

They refused to slow down on Matchday 3, playing out a frantic 3-3 draw with Aston Villa U21, before finally tasting their first defeat of the season—a highly competitive 3-1 reverse against Chelsea U21 over the weekend.

However, Fulham's defensive vulnerabilities could be ruthlessly magnified against senior opposition. Historically, the young Cottagers have struggled immensely in this competition, losing all three of their group stage fixtures last season while conceding heavily to Gillingham (4-1), Wycombe Wanderers (3-1), and Colchester United (2-0).

The silver lining for Welsh manager Dan Thomas is a completely clean bill of health, allowing him to field his strongest possible XI against the 2015-16 Premier League champions.